Background and justification:

Thanks to previous activities, GREAT2, GaN devices have been successfully developed enabling use of the devices into applications up to Ka-Band. However the efficiency is less than is required to meet future planned missions, in particular for the High Power Amplifier (HPA), which is a critical element for the deployment of active array/phase array antennas.  To achieve higher frequency transistor operation in the mm-wave range, design modifications of the device are required : it is necessary to shrink both the active device lateral (gate length) and vertical (channel barrier) dimensions.

The Virtual Mission Control Room (VMCR) is an attempt to free operators from the need to travel
to and stay within the same physical Mission Control Room (MCR).

This project aimed to develop support for NanoXplore’s NG-Ultra architecture within the open-source place-and-route tool nextpnr, as an alternative to the proprietary Impulse tool. Extensive benchmarking showed that nextpnr’s performance is generally comparable to Impulse, though some areas need improvement. The results confirmed nextpnr’s capability to support large FPGAs and perform netlist transformations and placement optimizations. Future improvements may include support for high-speed I/O and SoC, and further placement optimizations.

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are indispensable for data transmission within modern data centers and pervade multiple application spheres traditionally limited to bulk optics, such as LiDAR and biosensing. Recent advances in thin film Lithium Niobate (LNOI) have shown the major potential of LNOI integrated photonic circuits, which exhibit strong Pockels effect enabling ultrafast and efficient electro-optical modulation but are difficult to process via dry etching.

A critical moment during the launch of a mission is when communication is established for the first time. For ground control to communicate with a satellite or payload, the engineering teams must formulate the communication protocols as early as the requirements definition phase, refine and implement them during the design, verification, and production phases, and maintain them after launch. ESA addresses this need for reliability despite constant change with the OPUS and the ASN1SCC projects.

The activities executed within the project NoTank - NOvel composite propulsion TANK architecture for small satellites aimed at maximising space use for the propulsion system in Smallsats, by improving the space efficiency of the propellant storage tank. Compared to conventional propulsion tank systems, the solution has the potential to reduce the overall cost of the satellite and provide a modular design that can adapt to various spatial configurations.

Background and justification: